Azul activates SITA OnAir flight tracking

Azul has become the first airline in the Americas to deploy SITA OnAir’s AIRCOM FlightTracker, ensuring that the carrier can now track flights in real time on every route.

“FlightTracker’s momentum is building rapidly as more and more airlines across the world start using it to meet industry requirements for tracking each and every flight at all times,” declared Ian Dawkins, CEO of SITA OnAir.

Azul has used SITA OnAir AIRCOM technology since it began in 2008, making the addition of FlightTracker a simple software upgrade to the ground-based server.

FlightTracker uses multiple sources of data, including ATC information, terrestrial and satellite feeds, and the airline’s flight plans, to provide real-time aircraft position monitoring. The system generates automatic alerts when an aircraft goes outside pre-determined parameters, giving flight controllers full information at all times.

“Our flight tracking brief, through ICAO and IATA, was two-fold,” Dawkins added. “Flight operations teams need to be able to follow aircraft positions and identify any unexpected deviations or gaps in position reports, while using existing equipment and procedures, without adding significant cost. We can also exceed the initial specification for reports every 15 minutes, depending on an airline’s requirements.”

AIRCOM FlightTracker is used in every phase of the flight. More frequent reports can also be provided, for example in the case of an emergency.